Apparatus for producing hydrogen gas.



H. LANE. APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING HYDROGEN GAS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 16,1910.

1,028,366. Patented June 4, 1912.

. 0Q 3 Q 0 Q W/T/VESSESE'YV I v HO-W'ARD LANE.

5 may be got rid of between the two phases of ITE .s'rATEs PATENT OFFIC HOWARD LANE, or BIRMiNGHAM, 'E GIIAN ASVSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONALE WAS- snns'rorn AKTIENGESELLSCHAIT, or FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN, GERMANY,

APPARATUS ron PRODUCING HYDROGEN ens.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 1912.

Application ifiled July 1 6, 1910. Serial No. 572,411.

To all whom it may concern Y Be it known that I, HOWARD LANE, a subvented an Apparatus for ProducingHydrogen Gas, of'which the following is a specification.

This 'inventionrelates to an apparatus for carrying out the method of producing hydrogen in which a 'metal is alternately oxidized by steam and deoxidi'zed by a reducing gas. It has been found in practice that the hydrogen gas-obtained by such process alof gaseousand solid bodies (or whatmay be termed impurities) produced concurrently with the hydrogen and whose presence considerably increases the quantity of reducing gas necessary for carrying out the reduction operation, as well as the time necessary for eflecting the deoxidation of the'contact ma-" terial. The presence of these impurities inthe hydrogen gas is due to the fact that the other impurities which either become. deposited on the contact material or generate gases such as sulfurous acid, sulfuretted hydrogen, carbon-dioxid, etc. It has been fur ther found that'after the reduction'pha'se a certain quantity of free reducing gas still remains in the retort, the presence of which contaminates the hydrogen and consequently lessens its commercial value, 1

, provide the retort wherein the alternate oxidation and reducing phases of theprocess] are efi'ected with means whereby the reducing gas as well as the sulfur, carbon and other impurities-associated with said gas the-process. To this'end the retort is provided at each extremity with a multiple-way munic ation between that end of the retort and anyone of three pipes connected respec-' tively at the one end of the retort to a 'sup-.

outlet, a gas-washing and regenerating ap paratus, and a supply'ofste'am under pres- I The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing which wayscontains a relatively large proportion reducing agent contains sulfur, carbon and .The object of the present invention is to controlling valve-adapted to establish com-i the controlling valves referred to.

A 1s the retort provided with an inlet B at .shows schematically a retort provided with the lower end and an outlet G at the upper end, and F and Gare four-way valves which are capable of being rotated by means of hand-wheels H and J soas to open -com munication on the one hand between the re tort A and either the pipe K connected to a hydrogen container, a pipe M connected to a supply of reducing gas, or a pipe N ..c0n-

nected to a supply ofair-under pressure,

and on the other hand either with a dis charge pipe 0, a-pipe P leading to a gas washing or regenerating apparatus and a suresteam. i

Assuming that the contact material in the This is effected by rotating the valve G one quarter of a revolution so as to admit air retort has been oxidized during the previous under pressure to the. lower part of theretort through the pipes N and D, and rotatingvalve F so as to force out the products of combustion into the atmosphere through the pipes E and O. The valve G is thenrotated so as to admit reducing gas to the retort through pipes M and D and rotating valve F so as toopen communication between the upper part of theretort and the a gas, washing or regenerating apparatus through pipes E and P. At the completion of thereducing phase the valve F is rotatedso as to connect the upper part of the retort with the supply of steam under pressure through pipes Q and E,.whereupon the pressure of the steam being greater than that:

of the reducing gas remaining in the retort,

the latter'is "forced out through pipes D and M carrying with it the impure hydrogen which has been generated by the action of the steam on the sulfur, carbon, etc.,-'depos-.

ited on-the contact'material. As soon as it is found that the hydrogen passing out through pipe M is sufiicie'ntly pure the valve. 1

G is rotated so as todeliver the gas to the ,hydrogen'oontainer' after which process air' is then again passed through the retort in the manner previously described.

7.0 'pipe Q connected to a supply'of low pres -Claims: 1.- The combination with a retort wherein hydrogen gas may be generated by the alt'e'rnateoxidation and deoxidation of a metal in the manner described, of a pair ofvalves both in permanent communication with the ietort and respectively adapted to be put into communication at-one end with a container for the hydrogen gas generated, a supply of. reducing gas, and a supply of air under pressure,-and at the other end with a supply. of'steam under pressure, a gas washing and regenerating apparatus and a dis- ;for controlling said-conduits, other conduits- -f0r'c0nd11cting steam into said retort and reaction products from said retort, and avalve for controlling said last mentioned conduits.

3. The combination of aretort wherein hydrogen may be generated by the alternate oxidation and deoxidation of a metal, a main conduit at each end thereof, three branch conduits leading to each main conduit,"and

a three-way valve at' each intersection of branch conduits and 'a'main conduit, said valves being adapted to control the communication of the branch conduits with the main conduits; v

Witnesses:

NORMAN S. BARLOW, Flynn; V. NEALE.

owABD LA 

